The University’s Board of Trustees met Friday to discuss strategic planning, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton said.
Three topics were considered: societal challenges that the University should address in the future, University constituencies and how well they are being served and undergraduate enrollment issues.
Following the business meeting, the trustees organized themselves into three groups to discuss these topics, which were developed by the trustee steering committee chaired by John S. McDonnell, retired chairman of the board of McDonnell Douglas Corp. The strategic planning initiative will continue during the rest of the academic year.
In his report to the trustees, Wrighton first reviewed the success of the Sept. 17 Danforth Campus dedication that honored William H. Danforth, his late wife, Elizabeth, the Danforth family and the Danforth Foundation. He reminded the trustees that three important presentations are being held in conjunction with the Danforth Campus naming this semester — including a well-attended event Oct. 3 that featured William H. Danforth on the topic of “Medicine and Society.”
The Danforth Lecture Series, with its overarching theme of “A Higher Sense of Purpose,” will continue Oct. 16 with John C. “Jack” Danforth, former senator and U.N. ambassador, speaking on “Faith and Politics,” and Nov. 13 with P. Roy Vagelos, M.D., former chairman and CEO of Merck & Co., speaking on “The Social Responsibility of Business.”
Wrighton reported that the freshman class of 2010 is the most academically talented student group in the University’s history, with 95 percent graduating in the top 10 percent of their high-school classes.
Approximately one-third of the students are minority or international students who hail from 49 states and 20 countries. The class is divided equally between men and women.
Wrighton also reported that the first 17 students to enroll in the McDonnell International Scholars Academy were welcomed to campus from 12 of Asia’s leading universities. He noted that 12 corporate sponsors are supporting the program and that James V. Wertsch, Ph.D., director of the academy and the Marshall S. Snow Professor in Arts & Sciences, has developed an ambitious program to continue the growth of the academy.
Wrighton announced that the academy will sponsor a major convocation May 4 for academic leaders from partner institutions, together with leaders in the areas of energy and the environment. Thomas R. “Tom” Pickering, a 40-year veteran of foreign service who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 1989-1992 and as undersecretary of state for political affairs from 1997-2001, will be the featured speaker.
Wrighton reminded trustees that the dedication of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts and the opening of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum will take place Oct. 25.
In other news, Wrighton noted that the opening of MetroLink has brought a significant benefit to the University community and that students, faculty and staff have welcomed the free Metro passes made available to all benefits-eligible employees and to all full-time students.
Lastly, he noted that Founders Day will feature Sir John Major, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, at the Adams Mark Hotel Nov. 4. More than 1,000 guests are expected to attend.
In other action, the trustees heard reports on the new structure for endowment oversight and management from John Biggs, former chairman and CEO of TIAA-CREF.
He described the organizational structure under which the newly appointed chief investment officer, Kimberly Gayle Walker, will operate in managing the University’s endowment assets.
She will head a new entity within the University trustee governance structure — the Washington University Investment Management Co.
Reports also were received from the following committees: development, educational policy, audit, university finance, medical finance and the Alumni Board of Governors.